MotoGP: Qualifying Bridgestone Tire Talk

Dani Pedrosa will start tomorrow’s Czech Republic Grand Prix from the front having secured his third pole position of the season, and his sixth ever on Bridgestone tires, in a thrilling end to the hour-long qualifying session.

His best effort came on his penultimate lap, using the harder option front and softer option rear Bridgestone slicks to deny Ben Spies his first MotoGP pole. Pedrosa’s pole time was 0.35seconds from the pole record, but faster than the existing circuit lap record, both of which were set last year on Bridgestone’s single supply slick tires.

Spies will start from second on the grid after an impressive showing to secure his first premier class front row start whilst championship leader Jorge Lorenzo completes the top three.

All riders favored the harder front for its extra stability under braking, especially into the downhill corners, and the softer rear for its extra edge grip and traction, allowing them to open the throttle earlier. Many riders continued to use softer option rear tires that they’d already put laps on during the practice sessions and in doing so proved their race-distance durability and consistency.

Mist delayed the start of practice by 25 minutes, although a dry line meant that Bridgestone’s wet tires were not necessary. Conditions were fine and dry again for qualifying, although the threat of rain is ever-present for tomorrow’s 22-lap race, posing what could be the first wet grand prix of the 2010 season.

Tohru Ubukata (Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tire Development Department) says: “This morning during free practice it was difficult to judge race tire choice because of the mixed conditions and the cooler track temperature, and because yesterday’s free practice was cut short by rain, all riders tried to check their race tire choice during qualifying. From the beginning all riders used the harder fronts which will be the favored choice for the race, but now with more dry track time we have been able to confirm the race-distance durability of the softer option rear tyre.”

“The softer rear slick offers better edge grip in these conditions than the harder option, which is crucial in allowing riders to accelerate early out of corners to maximize their speed on the many uphill climbs. The latest forecast is still for rain tomorrow however, which always has the potential to turn the order upside down. If it is wet all day, the warm-up session will be very busy for the teams and riders as they try to optimize their wet-weather setup, especially as we have had so little wet running this season.”